Feeding of textile materials



Jan. 9, 1934. s. A. WELCH El AL 1,942,524

FEEDING OF TEXTILE MATERIALS Filed April 28, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet lSIDNEY AWELCH ALBERT F. GUYLER U'OHN T. ASHBY WILLIAM HBDALER lNVENTDRSmm 1934- s. A. WELCH ET AL 1,942,524

FEEDING OF TEXTILE MATERIALS Filed April '28. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 \&

TTORNEYS Patented Jan. 9, 1934 UNITED STATES 1,942,524 7 FEEDING FTEXTILE MATERIALS y Arthur Welch, Albert Fairholme Guyler, Thomas Ashby,and William Henry Boiler, Spondon, near Derby, England, assign-' ors toCelanese Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware ApplicationApril 28, 1930, Serial No. 427,940, and in Great Britain May 21, 1929 10Claims. (o1. 66163) This invention relates to the simultaneous feedingof a plurality of yarns or threads and has for its principal object animproved stop motion that is operable on the breakage of a yarn orthread to stop the feeding of the yarns or threads. A further object ofthe invention is to stop the feeding of the yarns or threads on theoccurrence of excessive variation in the tension of individual yarns orthreads, or in the whole of the yarns or threads. The invention iscapable of wide application, and may be used in such operations as, forexample, warping, beaming, and creeling, and the feeding of yarns orthreads to weaving looms and warp-knitting machines.

According to the invention, a pivoted member is provided in connectionwith each of the plu-, rality of yarns or threads (hereinafter referredto as threads), the pivot of the member being so placed that thetendency of the member is to move so asto contact with a conducting bar,and complete an electric circuit between this bar and a second conductorwhich is conveniently the pivot rod of the pivoted members. The twoconductors are connected to an electric stop-motion mechanism, so thatwhen any pivoted member is allowed to make contact with the conductingbar, feeding of the whole of the threads ceases.

During feeding, each thread maintains its associated pivoted member outof contact with the conducting bar, the tension of the thread being justsuflicient to overcome the tendency of the pivoted member to movetowards the bar. On the breakage or slackening of any thread, thisconstraint is removed from the pivoted member which thereupon completesthe electric circuit of the stop-motion mechanism to stop the feeding ofthe threads.

The pivoted members and their associated parts may operate inconjunction with a stop motion which is rendered operative in the eventof excessive variation of the tension of the threads as a whole. Thus,the threads may be caused to pass over a tension bar which is movableagainst spring or weight action, any variation in the tension ofthe-threads causing or allowing contacts on the tension bar to engagecontacts included in the stop-motion circuit.

Various embodiments of the invention will now be described in greaterdetail, with reference to 50 the accompanyingdrawings, but it is to beunderstood that the; followingdescription is given by way of exampleqnlyqand is in no way limitative. The embodiments shown are particularlyapplicable to warp knitting machines, but are not limited to suchapplication.

, chine.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation, and Figure 2 a plan view of 'a'series ofpivoted members and their associated parts.

Figure 3 is a diagram of the electrical stop-motion circuit and one formof stop-mechanism;

Figure 4 shows a further form of stop-mechanism; and

Figure 5 shows a modification of the pivoted member used in theinvention.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a number of threads 11 are taken'from abeam or creel and passed through a reed or sley 12 and over a tensionbar 13 to the needles of a warp knitting ma- A rod 14 is carried bybrackets 16 from the sley bar 15 and runs along the length of the reedor sley, serving as a pivot for a number of pivoted members 17 of whichone is provided for each thread. Each pivoted member comprises atwo-armed lever, one arm 18 of which projects between the teeth of thereed or sley and is guided thereby and terminates in an upstanding forkcomprising prongs 19, 20, for engagement with the thread.

In order to interfere as little as possible with the straight passage ofthe thread through the sley and through the fork, one limb 19 of thefork is bent or cranked in relation to the other limb 20.

The other arm 170 of the lever is somewhat heavier than the threadengaging arm 18, and so tends to move downwards into contact with aconducting bar 21 supported by insulating material 21 on the brackets 16in which the pivot rod is mounted. The pivot rod forms one contact forthe pivoted members, and is connected together with the conducting barin the stop-motion circuit, as will appear hereafter.

Discs 22 are arranged between the pivoted members in order to space themcorrectly, it being preferred to secure a disc to each pivoted member.By this means also, a good electrical connection is effected between'thepivoted members and the pivot rod.

The pivoted members may be pierced, to be slid over the end of the rod14, upon which they are pivoted, but they are preferably slotted, asshown in Figure 5, so that they can be simply dropped on to the bar. Itis preferred that the arms 1'70 of those members 17 which engage threadsnear the ends of the warp are somewhat lighter than those engaging thethreads in the remainder of the warp, Figure 5 showing how the shape ofthe arm 1 0 may be modified for this purpose.

In Figure 3, the tension bar 13 over which the threads pass afterleaving the reed or sley is carr on the tension bar arms should thetension of the thread increase or decrease to give excessive movement tothe tension bar in either direction.

The tension bar contacts 23, 24 are connected together to one terminalof the stop-motion circuit, in this case the terminal to which thepivotrod 14 is connected, and the other two contacts are togetherconnected tothe other terminal to which the contact bar 21' isconnected. The circuit is completed through an electro-magnet 29, acut-out switch and a battery 31.

The electro-magnet 29 when energized may operate to actuate thestop-motion in various ways. According to the method illustrated inFigure 3, it attracts a pivoted latch 32 to release a trip lever 33which holds the belt fork or shifting gear 34 of the machine over thefast pulley in opposition to a spring 35, the trip lever when releasedallowing the spring to move the belt fork on to the loose pulley. Themovement of the belt fork towards the loose pulley may be arranged toopen the cut-out switch 30 above referred to, thus reopening thestop-motion circuit as soon as stoppage of the machine is eifected.

In order to prevent any slackness in the threads incidental to thestarting-up of the machine from putting the stop-motion into action byreleasing any of the pivoted members, the belt fork 34 may be arrangedto move somewhat past the point at which the belt is slipped on to thefast pulley, this movement of the fork being made in opposition to aspring 48. In starting the machine, the belt fork moves the belt to thefast pulley, and is then given this excess movement, and in thisposition of the fork a nose 36 projecting from the belt fork rod is heldaway from a co-acting projection 37 on a spring contact-arm of thecut-out switch 30 to allow the cut-out switch to remain open. As soon asthe thread is being fed properly and any slackness sufficient to releaseany of the pivoted members is taken up, the belt fork is allowed toreturn to its normal position on the fast pulley under the action of thespring 48, and the projection 36 engages the nose 3'7 to close theswitch 30.

In the modified apparatus shown in Figure 4, the electro-magnet 29 onbeing energized attracts one arm of a two-armed lever 38, the other armof which is connected by a link 39 to a lever 40 pivoted to one end of abelt fork lever 41, which is pivoted at an intermediate point 42 of itslength to the frame of the machine. The lever 40 is formed at one endwith a latch 43 held normally above a disc. 44 continuously rotatedduring the operation of the machine and carrying a number of pins 45which project from one of its faces. When the lever 38 is attracted bythe electro-magnet, the latch 43 is caused to move into the path of oneof the pins 45 on the rotating disc 44, and the lever 41) carrying thelatch is thus propelled to the right to rock the belt fork lever 41 andstop the machine.

A projection 46 on the belt fork lever closes the cut-out switch 30 inthe stop-motion circuit during running of the machine. Stops 47 may beprovided to limit the action of the belt fork.

When the feeding mechanism is driven by an electric motor, thestop-motion circuit may operate through suitable devices to cut off thecurrent to the motor directly, or the current may be cut off indirectlyby adaptation of the stop-motion circuit to operate one or more of thesafety devices usually associated with electric motor drive.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. Apparatus for uniformly feeding a plurality of threads, saidapparatus comprising an electrical stop-motion circuit, a contact bar, areed, and a pivoted member in connection with'each thread, each pivotedmember being guided by a dent in the said reed, and held out of contactwith the contact bar by engagement with its associated thread, whileadapted to move into contact with sald bar on slackening of the thread,to close the electrical stop-motion circuit in connection with thefeeding mechanism.

2. Apparatus for uniformly feeding a plurality of threads, saidapparatus comprising an electrical stop-motion circuit, a loaded tensionbar associated with the threads and movable against its load undervariations of tension in the threads as a whole to close the stop motioncircuit, a contact bar, a reed, and a pivoted member in connection witheach thread, each pivoted member being guided by a dent in the saidreed, and held out of contact with the contact bar by engagement withits associated thread, while adapted to move into contact with said baron slackening of the thread to close the electrical stop-motion circuitin connection with the feeding mechanism.

3. Apparatus for uniformly feeding a plurality of threads, saidapparatus comprising an electricalstop-motion circuit, a contact bar, areed, and a pivoted member in connection with each thread, said pivotedmember being guided by a dent in the said reed, and held out of contactwith the contact bar by engagement with its associated thread, whileadapted to move into contact with said bar on slackening of the threadto close the electrical stop-motion circuit in connection with thefeeding mechanism, a starting device, and a cut-out switch adapted to beoper ated thereby to maintain the stop-motion circuit open at thecommencement of the feeding operation whereby stoppage of the feedingmechanism owing to any variation in tension incidental to starting-up isprevented.

4. Apparatus for uniformly feeding a plurality of threads, saidapparatus comprising an electrical stop-motion circuit, a loaded tensionbar associated with the threads and movable against the loading undervariation of tension in threads as a whole to close the stop motioncircuit, a contact bar, a reed, and a pivoted member in connection witheach thread, said pivoted member being guided by a dent in the saidreed, and held out of contact with the contact bar by engagement withits associated threads, while adapted to move into contact with said baron slackening of the thread to close the electrical stop-motion circuitin connection with the feeding mechanism, and means for maintaining thestop-motion circuit open at the commencement of the feeding operationwhereby stoppage of the feeding mechanism owing to any variation intension incidental to starting-up is prevented.

5. Apparatus for uniformly feeding a plurality of threads, saidapparatus comprising a belt drive, an electrical stop-motion circuitadapted to operate belt shifting means in connection with said drive, acontact bar, a reed, and a pivoted member in connection with eachthread, said pivoted member being guided by a dent in the said reed, andheld out of contact with the contact bar by engagement with itsassociated thread, while adapted to move into contact with said bar onslackening of the thread to close the electrical stop-motion circuit inconnection with the feeding mechanism, and a cut-out switch in thestop-motion circuit adapted to be opened by the belt shifting means andat the commencement of the feeding operation, whereby stoppage of thefeeding mechanism owing to any variation in tension incidental tostarting-up is prevented.

6. Apparatus for uniformly feeding a plurality of threads, saidapparatus comprising a belt drive and electrical stop-motion circuitadapted to opcrate belt shifting means in connection with said drive, aloaded tension bar associated with the threads and movable against thisloading under variations of tension in threads as a whole to close thestop-motion circuit, a contact bar, a reed, and in connection with eachthread a pivoted member guided by a dent in the said reed, each pivotedmember being held out of contact with the contact bar by engagement withits associated threads, and adapted to move into contact with said baron slackening of the thread to close the electrical stop-motion circuitin connection with the feeding mechanism, and a cut-out switch in thestop-motion circuit adapted to be opened by the belt shifting means andat the commencement of the feeding operation whereby stoppage of thefeeding mechanism owing to any variation in tension incidental tostarting-up is prevented.

7. Warp'knitting machines provided with apparatus for uniformly feedinga plurality of threads, said apparatus comprising an electricalstop-motion circuit, a loaded tension bar associated with the threadsand movable against its load under variations of tension in the threadsas a whole to close the stop-motion circuit, a contact bar, a reed, anda pivoted member in connection with each thread, each pivoted memberbeing guided by a dent in said reed, and held out of contact with thecontact bar by engagement with its associated thread, while adapted tomove into contact with said bar on slackening of the thread to close theelectrical stop-motion circuit in connection with the feeding mechanism.

8. Warp knitting machines provided with apparatus for uniformly feedinga 4 plurality of threads, said apparatus comprising a belt drive andelectrical stop-motion circuit adapted to operate belt shifting means inconnection with said drive, a loaded tension bar associated with thethreads and movable against this loading under variation of tension inthreads as a whole to close the stop-motion circuit, a contact bar, areed, and in connection with each thread, a pivoted member guided by adent in the said reed, each pivoted member being held out of contactwith the contact bar by engagement with its associated threads, andadapted to move into contact with said bar on slackening of the threadto close the electrical stop-motion circuit in connection with thefeeding mechanism, and a cut out switch in the stop-motion circuitadapted to be opened by the belt shifting means and at the commencementof the feeding operation wherebystoppage of the feeding mechanism owingto any variation in tension incidental to starting-up is prevented.

9. Apparatus for uniformly feeding a plurality of threads, saidapparatus comprising an electrical stop-motion circuit, a contact bar, areed a pivoted member for each thread, each pivoted member having aforked extremity, adapted to engage a corresponding thread, each pivotedmember being guided by a dent in the said reed and held out of contactwith the contact bar by engagement of the thread in the said forkedextremity, while adapted to move into contact with said bar onslackening of the thread, to close the electrical stop-motion circuit inconnection with the feeding mechanism.

10. Apparatus for uniformly feeding a plurality of threads, saidapparatus comprising an electrical stop-motion circuit, a contact bar, areed,

a pivoted member having a forked extremity for each thread, said forkedextremity having a plurality of prongs, at least one of which is off-setto permit free passage of the thread through the fork, said pivotedmember being guided by a dent in the said reed, and held out of contactwith the contact bar by engagement of the thread in the said forkedextremity, while adapted to move into contact with said bar onslackening of mg: the thread, to close the electrical stop-motioncircuit in connection with the feeding mechanism.

SIDNEY ARTHUR WELCH.

ALBERT FAIRHOLME GUYLER.

JOHN THOMAS ASHBY.

WHLIAM HENRY BOALER.

